The High Court in Accra has, on its own motion, varied the bail conditions of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, who is standing trial for allegedly permitting mining activities on his Samreboi concession without the requisite authorisation.

The variation was announced before the substantive business of the day. The Court noted that although it had earlier delegated aspects of the bail supervision to the investigator, specifically requiring periodic returns on whether the accused remained within the jurisdiction, the investigator had failed to comply with the Court’s directive.

According to the judge, the persistent failure of the investigator to file the mandated returns made it necessary for the Court to intervene. Instead of tightening the conditions or detaining the accused, the Court adjusted the reporting requirements.

Under the new terms, Chairman Wontumi is now required to report directly to the Registrar of the Court, who will, in turn, file the appropriate returns to the judge.

The Court emphasised that this variation was to ensure proper oversight of the bail conditions without disrupting the accused’s right to a fair trial or relying on an investigative officer who had failed to perform assigned duties.

Chairman Wontumi, together with two others, is facing charges for allegedly permitting or allowing mining operations on his Samreboi concession contrary to Section 14 of the Minerals and Mining Act, which prohibits mining without lawful authority.